


The Song That Everyone Sings

by Epiccase



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Dirty Thoughts, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Light Angst, M/M, Multi, Mutual Pining, My First Fanfic, Polyamory, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-15
Updated: 2018-03-26
Packaged: 2018-11-14 07:42:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11203491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Epiccase/pseuds/Epiccase
Summary: Archie begins to feel something for all of his friends... something more than friendship. He has to figure out if he should take the chance to find out if they feel the same. But then what?





	1. Archie

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place during/after 1x12
> 
> (This work was originally titled "Part 1- Archie" and was part of the series "The Song That Everyone Sings". Instead of making this a series with multiple works, I figured out how chapters work and am compiling my previous works into this one since I know people have already bookmarked it. I hope this isn't confusing.)

As Archie stared over at his two best friends, looking deep into each other's eyes and hugging with obvious passion, an unwelcome feeling came over him; he was jealous. Those lips that had once confessed Betty's love to him now kissed Jughead, forgetting him. They seemed so in love. Quickly he remembered Veronica behind him and felt guilty. They had something good going, and he shouldn't mess that up.  
"They're each other's soulmates," she said. He could feel her pressing him to say what was so obviously on his mind.  
He told her that he wanted them to be soulmates too, and that was true. He loved being with Veronica, he loved kissing her, singing with her. He loved how she made him feel. He loved Betty too. Maybe he just realized it too late. Betty had always been there for him; they had been best friends practically forever. They just didn't align, and now she loves Jughead.  
"Good for them," he and Veronica both agreed. 

Even while lying in bed with Roni, sweaty and tired, his mind went to Jughead and Betty. The weight of his thoughts was even greater than that of Veronica's sleeping head on his shoulder. These feelings came on so suddenly, and with Jason's murder investigation taking up the whole town's attention, he didn't know if there was enough space in his head to debate this. Archie spent every second he could trying to sort out these emotions. Lying in the quiet dark, he could ignore the murder and the scandal and the mystery and just think. Archie imagined Betty here with them, resting on his other arm. He imagined embracing both girls, them embracing each other. His happiness was quickly overcome with guilt yet again. He was thinking selfishly. Not only to have two girls to love, but to take Betty away from Jughead. How could that ever happen? How could he think that he could just have anything, everything he wanted? His mind was drawn back to his battle between football and music. Then, he had ended up with a broken hand; so many worse things could happen in this situation. Once again he wanted it all and he was forced to choose.

It was Jughead's last night in Archie's house before he moved on to his Southside foster home. It was dark in the bedroom but the boys were nowhere near asleep. Elbows propped up, they talked wide-eyed in their underwear.  
"I have no doubt that Betty and I will be fine, no matter how much she worries," Jughead was saying.  
"Things will be different without you there though…" Archie had only gotten his best friend back this year, he didn't want them to drift again.  
"Just don't replace me with Cheryl," Jughead laughed, which made Archie smile.  
He remembered when they used to laugh so hard they couldn't breathe, so hard that their stomachs hurt. There was a lot he had forgotten that was now coming to the surface: how they used to play pretend, used to wrestle, to bundle up close together in blankets and watch movies. And they used to… wow, there really was a lot that he had forgotten. Archie stared at Jug's lips as he talked about what he thought Southside would be like, and only half listened. He wondered at how those lips had changed since those innocent little childhood kisses they shared. He wondered how differently they would feel now that his lips knew the full extent of what kissing could be. His mind could have gone back to Veronica's lips, or even Betty's- but Archie didn't want to patrol his thoughts anymore. Everything was so crazy, why not let himself have these intrusive thoughts and feelings. With everything going on, was it so hard to believe that maybe his sudden sexual fantasies could happen too? And so he let himself look at Jug's chest, and his waist, and his neck, and his lips again, not yet looking his friend in the eye. He had a subtle beauty, he was slim and soft unlike Archie's muscular build. Archie wondered if they would ever have another sleepover like they did when they were young; snuggled right up next to each other under a pile of blankets. He imagines his dad yelling up at them to be quiet and go to bed, so Jughead would have to come up to Archie's bed so they could whisper together a little bit longer. Without thinking he reached his hand down to where Jughead lay on the mattress next to his bed. Jughead smiled and grabbed it without saying a word and they sat like that for a while, just feeling the words that weren't being said. Archie waited for Jug to make some sarcastic comment about his masculinity slipping but it never came. Eventually sleep took hold of them and only then did their hands slips from one another's grip.

The thought came to him suddenly. _Who cares? Who Fucking cares?_ Maybe he wanted to be selfish. Maybe he could have everything- have everyone he wanted. After all, they were all best friends, they had all been through some much together; why not more, why not this? Archie was tired of the voice in his head calling him crazy; he didn't care anymore and he wasn't going to hide anything more from his friends; they all learned that keeping secrets only leads to worse problems than the truth ever would.


	2. Betty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Jughead prepares to leave for Southside, the gang meets up at Pop's. Betty starts to think about the relationships she has with all of her friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was formerly its own work part of a series, but I have since deleted the independent work to compile it as a chapter in this work (I have learned how chapters work lol). I hope if you had bookmarked the original work you were able to find this.

Betty huddled close to Veronica's fur coat as they walked briskly though the snow to Pop's. "I know it's not as big of a deal as I was making it out to be," Betty was saying. "It's just that I don't want him to be so far away from me, I guess."  
"Well you'll just have to make the most of every time you are together," Veronica nudged Betty in the ribs suggestively. She got the hint. Betty started telling Veronica about how her and Jughead had been making out in FP's trailer the other night, and Veronica smiled to herself, remembering that same night that she had spent with Archie. "Wow, kissing really is one of the best things on this Earth, isn't it?" she mused.  
"I'm gonna have to agree with you there," Betty laughed, a bit giddy. Veronica got a little quiet then, thinking.  
"Do you remember when we kissed?" she said with a smile. That made Betty laugh again.  
"How could I forget? You totally took me by surprise!"  
"Well…" Veronica teased. "Was I good?"  
"Hmmm, _pretty_ good, I suppose." Actually, it was really good. Betty remembered their River Vixens audition, how nervous she was to have Cheryl and the other cheerleaders scrutinizing them. And then, Veronica had pulled her close. They locked eyes and she was all Betty could think about in that moment; everything else had been cut off. _Just trust me_. Veronica's hand came up and cupped the back of Betty's neck, and she had instinctively leaned in towards her. When their lips met it felt like pure energy surging through the supple skin of their lips. Veronica's other hand came up to cup her face and they were _kissing_. She hadn't known how much time had passed when Veronica broke off, but she was dazed as hell. Betty had to shake off the memory and return to reality; Veronica was saying something and she had missed it while spacing out. "Sorry what?"  
"I said, if you ever kiss Archie then you'll have the whole set! Wouldn't that be funny?" _Oh, god, could you imagine?_ "Sorry if I overstepped I- I don't know if you're still sensitive on that area, I mean- " Veronica panicked at Betty's unusual silence, but Betty cut her off.  
"No no, Veronica, it's fine! I was just thinking, you know, you could say the same if you kissed Jughead."  
"Well imagine that!" Veronica made a face like she was considering it. They both laughed at the idea, but, hey, what could really be considered weird to them anymore?

When the girls reached Pop's they rejoiced at the warmth inside and found the boys in their usual booth. Betty sat next to Jughead, bumping her hip into his, and returned Archie's big smile from across the table. They ordered a round of burgers and milkshakes for all and were finally left alone by the waitress.  
"Ok guys, I now give you permission to start sobbing and giving me going-away presents," Jughead joked, successfully diffusing the tension at the table.  
"Funny you should say that," Betty smiled as she slid a small box into Jughead's hands. They all laughed because they hadn't been expecting the obvious. Inside the box was a dog tag necklace with _J + B_ engraved onto it. Betty bit her lip as she watched to gauge Jug's reaction.  
"I love it Betty," he said as he slipped it over his hat and head to rest on his neck. Betty could finally breathe knowing that she picked the right gift. Jughead gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and then excused himself to the bathroom. He was probably uncomfortable with all the attention on him.  
"Archie, do you think he's okay?" She was probably reading too much into it, but she wanted to be sure.  
"Betty, Jug is totally fine, I guarantee it."  
"Still, will you check on him? For me?" Archie agreed, and left Betty and Veronica alone at the table. Betty figured a change of subject was at order; she was worrying about Jughead way too much. "So, how is it with you and Archie?" she asked, turning her attention back to Veronica once again. Veronica smiled as she thought about it.  
"It's real, Betty. We really feel each other, you know? We are so close and getting closer… It's really great to have someone like that." Betty thought back to before she even knew Veronica, how close she was with Archie. She remembered wanting to know how it felt to be held like he holds Veronica now; to be kissed like he kisses her.  
"You guys seem really good together," she managed to say once she snapped out of it. Ronnie was happy now but she lit up even more when she saw the boys coming back to the booth with their food in hand.  
"Yes, finally! I'm starving." For a moment their booth at Pop's was silent except for the munching of burgers and the slurping of milkshakes. For a moment.


	3. Veronica

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Veronica decides to take the festivities up a notch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to finally add to this, for those of you who have been waiting. (Chapter 2 was originally posted in July).

Veronica sipped up the last of her strawberry milkshake, and that was it. "Not to be a downer," she began, gaining the attention of her friends, "but I think this occasion deserves a little more than a casual gathering at Pop's." The others seemed confused, looking around at each other. They obviously weren't taking the hint. "We need to party! And don't give me that look Juggie, we have learned from last time," Veronica added after seeing Jughead's horrified glance, no doubt having a flashback of the last time someone tried to do something more special for him.  
"Ronnie, what exactly are you planning here?" He was not soothed, but she had a plan and she was going to execute it.  
"Don't _worry_! All I had in mind was that the four of us (only the four of us) go out to the club, dance, have a good time and forget our problems." Betty perked up at this.  
"Yeah, she's right, what do you think Jughead?" The three of them all looked at him expectantly.  
"Ok, fine. But Veronica's paying," he conceded with a smile. Veronica was so glad he actually agreed that she excitedly grabbed his hands from across the table and kissed them. All laughing, they payed their bill and left Pop's for the glitter and hypnotizing music of the club.

Soon enough, all four were twirling around the dance floor, taking in the music and the sights of each other's moves. Jughead and Betty held each other close, swaying their hips in perfect synchronization. Archie spun Veronica around and held her back to his chest, and their bodies bounced together to the beat. With one arm with Archie's hand on her hip, Veronica reaches out her other arm to pull Betty over to them, and the four bounce together, arms around each other. Veronica slipped out from the sweaty bodies, turning back as she walked away to see the boys with their arms around Betty, clutching each other's arms and laughing.

Veronica reached the bar, and bought a few rounds of shots with her fake ID. She had made herself 23; it was a bit of a stretch, but it had worked for her so far. She came back to her friends with the tray full of tall skinny glasses, and asked imploringly if they wanted to drink. "Why the hell not?" seemed to be the general consensus. They each took a glass, toasted to their night of letting go, and tossed back the booze. It was easy to see by their faces that the teens were not the most experienced with hard liquors. However, it got easier after the third of fourth round. 

Their dancing styles got a little more sloppy, with Betty stumbling into Archie's shoulder, grabbing him for support. He just caught her easily and held her up against him. Archie's other arm held Jughead by the shoulder, and the three of them sway while Veronica does a solo ditty for them. She shook her hips in a circle, raising her arms up in the air and flipping her hair. Ronnie could tell by the look in Archie's eyes that she was inspiring certain thoughts to bloom in his mind. Come to think of it, all three of them had a sort of dazed expression. Veronica ended her dance, and took Archie for herself, locking her arms around his neck and bringing her lips to nibble on his ear and the edge of his jaw. Jughead had pulled Betty close as well. Veronica hadn't thought until now that he had probably never seen Betty dance; she had a surprisingly sexy rhythm to her. He was either whispering something in her ear, or kissing her neck. He must have gotten hot because he had taken off his hat, which now dangled out of the back pocket of his jeans. 

After a couple more minutes of this couple dancing, Veronica decided that she needed a break, and dragged Betty to the bathroom with her for some girl talk. "The energy in here is just electric, isn't it B?" Betty took a huge sigh and assented. "I think there is love in the air tonight, if you know what I mean," Veronica teased, poking Betty in the ribs, making her laugh and sway her hand away.  
"Yeah I do know what you mean, and maybe you are right this time." Betty smirked to herself, thinking about it. The quiet of the bathroom was almost tangible, next to the booming bass from the main room of the club.   
"I think it's time for phase two, what do you think?" Veronica asked Betty, smiling mischievously.   
"I don't know what that means, but I'm in," Betty said, and the girls went back out in search for their boys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll try to get the next chapter out faster- it may be the last one!


	4. Part 4- Jughead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang takes the party back to Archie's house, where things get... interesting

On any other occasion, Jughead might have been concerned at the wicked grin that Veronica was rapidly approaching with. She and Betty were practically bolting towards him and Archie, and their momentum carried them right into Jughead's chest.   
"You two are scheming again, I can sense it," Jug had been thrown off balance by the girls, and he put his arms around both of them to stay upright, laughing at what a fool he must have looked like. Veronica turned determinedly to Archie.  
"Your dad is out of town, right?"  
"Uh, yeah he is…" Archie looked like he was already working out Ronnie's plan. She lit up when he confirmed that it was true.  
"Well," she began dramatically. "I declare that we've had enough of this hustle and bustle, and it's time for some rest and relaxation in the quiet comfort of Archie's house. What do you think?" She looked around expectantly at all of her companions. Jughead thought there would be nothing better than to plop down on Archie's couch, so he heartily consented. Of course, Betty was in it from the beginning, and Archie could hardly say no to Veronica, so off they went.

All four drunkenly stumbled through the door at once, becoming more like a mass of giggles than individual people with every minute. Betty went straight for where Vegas was panting excitedly on the living room floor, showering the dog with pets and kisses. Jughead aimed for the couch, but misjudged and ended up on the floor right in front of it. He didn't mind much, so he stayed there and watched Betty and the dog, both equally cute. Eventually, Betty got so cute that he couldn't take it anymore and swept her up into his arms. They lay in that little pile on the floor and watched Veronica and Archie plop down on the carpet across from them. Veronica still had that wicked grin on her face, and Jughead found out why when she pulled out an empty beer bottle from behind her back, with a flourish.  
"Oh, no, Ronnie, what are you doing?" he asked with a groan.  
"Spin the Bottle! Come on, it'll be fun!" They were already seated in a circle, and all loosened up from the alcohol at the club, so once again the general consensus was, "Hey, why not?"  
"I'll go first!" Veronica exclaimed as she eyed Archie and spun the bottle in the center of their circle. Everyone watched it intently as it slowed, and slowed, finally landing on Betty. "Ooh, throwback!" Ronnie said, reaching over and pulling Betty's face to hers for a brief smooch. Betty rocked back on her heels with a shy smile and a bit of smudged lipstick.  
"Wait, what do you mean 'throwback'?" Archie asked, raising his eyebrows. Jughead looked curiously from girl to girl.  
"Oh, it was just this stunt Veronica pulled, back when we were trying out for the River Vixens," Betty seemed a little embarrassed to talk about it, probably because she knew that Jug would tease her about it later. Jughead and Archie looked at each other across the circle, as if to say 'Are you trying to imagine it too?', when Veronica's voice cut through their reverie.  
"Yes, quite the 3 second love affair, but I believe now it's Betty's turn to spin!"  
Betty did spin, and thankfully she landed on Jughead. He pulled her close yet again, and held her face to his, kissing her much longer than was necessary while the other two looked on with heart eyes. Jughead had half a mind to throw Betty over his shoulder and take her home right then. The look in Betty's eyes told him that she might be thinking the same thing. However, he realized that his very attentive audience was still staring at him and Betty, so he reluctantly spun the bottle to give them something else to watch. Jughead didn't notice when the bottled stopped though, because he was still watching Betty's face. Before he knew it, his lips were on Veronica's lips, and he marveled inwardly at the difference in taste and texture to Betty's lips. His hand came up to cup her face, but he thrust it down when he realized what he was doing, and he broke off the kiss. It had only been 2 or 3 seconds, but Jughead worried he had lingered too long. He sat back a little disoriented.  
"I got the set!" Veronica exclaimed, clapping her hands together. Archie gave her a weird look at that.  
"The Set?" surprisingly, he didn't look concerned, just mostly amused at what was going on. Veronica went on to explain that she and Betty were talking earlier that if she kissed Jughead or Betty kissed Archie, then they would have kissed everyone in the group, i.e. collected the set. Everyone kind of shook their heads and laughed. Jughead looked over at Betty to see if she looked upset or jealous. Instead, she was smiling at him, like 'Isn't Ronnie funny?'. He calmed down a bit, and absentmindedly thought about everyone kissing each other. It was a pretty weird thought, but then again, he felt like maybe he had a dream like that in the past once…  
They collectively decided to give Archie a turn, since he hadn't gone yet. Jughead hadn't been paying much attention to Archie for a while, but looking at him now, something was weird. He held his breath as he released the bottle, looking nervous, and expectant, and excited. Archie watched the bottle like his life depended on it, and Jughead speculated that maybe he was a bit drunker than the rest of them. Once again, it landed on Betty. Archie crawled over to stand on his knees in front of Betty. In a swift and fervent motion, he took her face in his hands and brought his lips crashing into hers. This was not a smooch, or a peck, it was a deep and emotional kiss. Jughead was in shock, and he suspected Veronica probably was too, though he couldn't see her on the other side of Betty and Archie. Betty's hands were against Archie's chest, whether to push away or pull closer, he wasn't sure. Finally they broke apart, eyes wide with surprise or adrenaline. No one moved for a moment. Everything was still.  
"Ok, what the hell was that?" Veronica finally spoke. Her voice was low and cold, not the piercing shout that Jughead was expecting. Archie was still upright in the middle of the circle, almost panting. Betty had sat down quietly, not sure what to do, but Veronica's question was evident in her eyes as well.  
"You know," Archie began. "Maybe I want the whole set too," Before anyone could ask what's going on, Archie had turned toward Jughead and was kissing him just like he had kissed Betty. Jughead had to lean back to absorb the impact, and in the daze his mouth moved automatically to match Archie's movements. In the flash of that moment the childhood memories of them came rushing to the surface of his mind, those experimental boyhood kisses that were nothing like this. Jughead let the kiss linger longer than he probably should have, just to note the differences. Eventually though, he realized that Archie Andrews was practically on top of him while both of their girlfriends gawked. He shoved Archie off of him, and Archie let himself get pushed away. Having done the deed, he seemed resigned now to deal with whatever came next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me forever to put this chapter up, I know I'm very unreliable. There will be at least one more chapter after this one, which contains what we've all been waiting for I'm sure.


	5. Aftermath- Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth comes out, and Betty and Veronica take a moment to reflect on what happened.

"I think you have some things to explain to us," Betty was the first to talk. Everyone was staring at Archie, who was looking at the floor and holding his knees to his chest. He looked like a child. After a bit, he looked up at the faces around him. To his surprise, no one looked mad. Mostly, they just looked at him like he was a strange animal they weren't sure how to interact with.  
"Ok," he began. It all had to come out now, all of it. "For a while I've been having these… feelings. I felt guilty at first. Ronnie, I would never want to hurt you, I love you, but I also love Betty, and I love Jughead," he looked at each one in turn so they would know that he's serious. "Or maybe I don't even know what love is, but I feel something for all of you, and I know it's weird, but I've come to terms with it, in a way. And you know what, maybe some of you feel the same, but you never thought to speak or even think about it, because you're not as crazy as I am," he covered his face with his hands. "I'm sorry I just did what I did, it probably wasn't the right way to go about it, I don't know, just please don't hate me for it." When nobody said anything for a moment, he peeked through his fingers, lowering his hands when he saw Veronica's face. "Do you have anything to say?" He didn't know how long he could take the silence.  
"I need some time to think about this," Veronica started to get up.  
"Don't leave, Ronnie, please," Archie said.  
"I'm just going to the kitchen. Come on, Betty," she dragged Betty up from where she was sitting and the girls left to talk privately. Archie couldn't help but feel like he ruined everything. He let himself fall and splay out on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. He was acutely aware of Jughead sitting by his knee. After a while, Jughead splayed himself out next to Archie too, and the boys lay in silence.

Veronica didn't let go of Betty's wrist until they arrived at the kitchen island. Veronica looked expectantly at Betty.  
"So?" she asked.  
"What?"  
"What the hell do you think just happened?" Veronica demanded. Betty was at a loss for words for the most part.  
"I- I don't know what to think. I feel bad that Archie was keeping this inside him for so long, but I also wish he hadn't just gone and kissed me like that. Although I think I can blame you for that brilliant spin the bottle idea," she gave Ronnie a disapproving look.  
"Ok, impaired judgement aside on all parts, we all just kissed each other. Let's just talk about that,"  
"You want me to tell you how it felt to kiss your boyfriend?" Betty looked at Veronica incredulously.  
"I want you to tell me how it felt for your childhood bestfriend to confess his love for you," Veronica said bluntly. She didn't seem that upset or uncomfortable, she really wanted Betty to talk to her, no matter what she had to say.  
"Well, a couple months ago, I would have been thrilled. This would have been the best thing that could happen. But I've gotten over Archie, and now I'm just confused. I won't lie, he's a good kisser…"  
"Yeah, well Jughead wasn't too bad either. And I'll admit, I don't know what I expected when I suggested spin the bottle, I just thought it would be fun and playful, but now everyone's feelings are all jumbled up," she looked truly distressed. "I mean, you are one thing, but I never knew that Archie liked boys too."  
"Well, you know, him and Jughead knew each other even before Archie and I were friends, maybe they have some secret past, I don't know," Betty was searching for anything to explain it, but it didn't really matter. Archie felt how he felt and it was all out now. "Archie has a lot of guts to admit that to us, though. Nevermind that he is drunk. Maybe… maybe we should all get stuff off our chests," Betty looked up at Veronica with uncertainty. When the other girl didn't respond, she continued. "I mean, I do love all you guys, I just never thought about it romantically… until now." Veronica looked up at that. "Come on, tell me our kiss didn't make you feel anything."  
Veronica couldn't lie; she did feel something when she kissed Betty, before and tonight. But she thought it was a bit selfish, to want more than what you have. Was she not enough for Archie? Was Archie not enough for her? Veronica put her head in her hands.  
"Ugh, Betty, what's going on? Why can't Archie just repress his emotions like the rest of us?" She was frustrated, she didn't want to delve into this, didn't want to think about it all.  
"I don't know, maybe he just said 'Fuck it'. That was the general attitude tonight anyway." Betty felt like she understood Archie more than anyone at this point. She couldn't help but agree with him, that maybe it wasn't wrong for all of them to love each other, it wasn't so crazy. Veronica seemed to be the one most reserved or upset about it. Maybe she would come around.  
Betty walked over to Veronica's side of the kitchen island and held her friend in her arms. Veronica seemed grateful for the gesture, putting her face into Betty's neck with a sigh. Betty stroked her hand down Veronica's back until it was at her waist. She brought her other hand up to the base of Veronica's neck and held her there tightly.   
"Betty?" Veronica almost whispered it.  
"Yeah?" Veronica looked up at Betty's face.  
"Fuck it." She tilted her head up to kiss Betty softly, and, though surprised, Betty welcomed the kiss warmly, relieved that she could finally let herself feel how she really felt.   
It was gentle, and they melted into each other there in the low light of the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for sticking with this story, I know it's taken a long time to come out, and as it comes to a close I'm very grateful for the people who have followed along as I've written it.


	6. Part 6 - In The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The core four reconvenes, thinking that maybe this can work after all

Archie took a breath and looked over at Jughead. The other boy was staring at the ceiling, his expression unreadable.  
"Hey man, I'm sorry that I put you in that position during spin the bottle, I really shouldn't have done that." Jughead turned to look at him then.  
"It's okay. I actually kind of liked it, if you can believe that," he started smiling kind of sheepishly. "Do you remember when we were kids? And we used to hide under the blankets…" Archie brightened up at the shared memory.  
"Yes! Juggie I was just thinking about that the other day, I wasn't sure if you had remembered that too…" he began to blush. Jughead smiled again and looked back up to the ceiling.  
"You know, I kind of like kissing Veronica too," he admitted. Archie was so relieved, he felt like finally they were on the same page. "And now that we've all 'collected the set' as V says, I mean, it's not that weird."  
"I'm just dying to know what Betty and Veronica are talking about in there," Archie looked wistfully in the direction of the kitchen, right as the girls happened to be walking back into the living room. The boys sat up on their elbows expectantly, as if waiting for Betty and Veronica to deliver a verdict. The girls sat down and they resumed their spin-the-bottle circle on the floor. Veronica's face was blushing as she started to speak.  
"Through thoughtful deliberation, Betty and I have concluded that we would like to see where this goes," the others chuckled at her formality of speech, but didn't tease her for it. "As long as everyone is in it 100 percent, right?" she looked around and everyone nodded their heads in agreement.  
"So, what now?" asked Archie apprehensively.   
"We make out!" Veronica, already crawling on top of Jughead goaded the rest of them on. She straddled his legs and almost knocked him backwards by her force. "That's what you want, right?" She looked Jughead in the eyes and he nodded, staring straight back at her with a sudden desire.  
Archie reached over and grabbed Betty's hand, pulling her into his lap. She let herself be pulled, but she looked to Jughead, almost as if for approval. He gave her a look that said 'Go on,' while Veronica sucked at his lips. Betty turned back to face Archie and felt those years of yearning for him rush back into her. He had always been just out of reach from her, but now he was right in front of her, wanting her back. So she let her lips crash onto his, freefalling into the warmth of his arms. She could have noted the differences between his lips and Jughead's, between their caresses and the way they moved their mouths against hers. But it didn't matter. All that mattered was how she felt in this moment, and that she liked it.  
In her reverie, Archie had lain her back on the ground. Or, at least, that's what he was going for, but it ended up with Betty's head practically in Jughead's lap. Or maybe it was Veronica's thigh. It was hard to tell.   
However awkward this positioning could have been, it did make it easy for Archie to just tilt his head up and start kissing Veronica. Likewise, Jughead pulled Betty up a little so they could kiss, making a strange knot of limbs since his arm was still outstretched to hold the side of Veronica's face. She and Archie kissed over this arm, and Archie also rested a tender hand on Jughead's wrist. Archie had one hand on Betty's hip, and with this he started to edge up her sweater and feel the soft skin underneath. Juggie noticed what Archie was doing and reclaimed his other hand to finish the job. Betty welcomed the gesture with upstretched arms, and in a moment she was exposed. She continued to kiss Jughead while Veronica pounced on her throat, kissing where her pulse jumped and down onto the flat of her chest. Archie used this opportunity to kiss Jughead's neck, pulling at the collar of his shirt, one hand still on Betty's smooth stomach.   
Soon enough, more shirts came off, as the four were getting hotter by the minute. For most of them, it was hard to multitask, and they jumped from one mouth to the next, to a neck, to a stomach. Archie always had each hand on a different person, feeling and tugging and caressing. A few times, he would take Veronica's hand and move it to Jughead's thigh, or he would lead Betty's hand to Veronica's breast. This mish-mosh of lips and hands and legs was more than he could have ever imagined, but he had imagined it thoroughly. Without anyone even taking off their pants he felt more exhilaration than he ever had before. By the sweat and gasping breaths of the rest, it seemed like they felt the same.   
In the end, they lay in a clump, breathing heavily and smiling wide. Their eyes closed in bliss and in sleep, and they were like one unit. Content, they slept in each other's arms, heads resting on chests, not caring whose. And Archie, last to fall asleep there on the living room floor, felt that this was how they were meant to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading and being patient with my sloww ass updates, but the story is finally finished! I hope you all enjoyed, and thanks again for the support.


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